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 Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 7:32 pm
"I'll pick you up at six okay? Be sure to call me if you need me. Don't go to far...""Don't go with strangers. I know, I know, I know. We've gone through this like a bazillion times mom. I get it."
It was Wednesday, Katherine's third day in Destiny city. Her mother had insisted for her to look around her future school, and Katherine grudgingly accepted. She had wanted to go back to the library and perhaps learn a bit more about the city the large maps and directories in the library's possession, but she guessed the concept of learning things in person wouldn't be too bad of an experience.
Thus and therefor, shortly after three, Katherine was dropped off at the main gate of Crystal Academy, with nothing but her cell phone and vague directions to get to the front office of the school where she would be able to check in as a visitor and perhaps receive an escort to show her around the campus.
However, she had never been one of directions, and so it was not a matter of moments when she found herself utterly lost in the vast campus. Katherine checked her phone and found to her dismay that she couldn't get any signal on campus grounds. Figures. There wasn't any signal in her school in her hometown either. Something about preventing kids from calling other kids while in class. Or maybe it was just because her phone stank. Either way, there was no way Katherine was going to be able call anyone.
Katherine sighed, and decided to walk in a single direction. It looked like school was already out, but her mom had told her that Crystal Academy was also a boarding school. Hopefully someone would come along and show her the way to the office. Hopefully.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 7:38 am
Haven Sinclair was somewhat better with directions, but chose not to make her way to the front office for one very simple fact—she preferred to tour the school grounds on her own.
Well, perhaps not entirely on her own, but at least without a guide. She wasn't going to have a guide her first day here, after all, and she felt she needed to go ahead and experience the vastness of the campus without one. She wasn't the type to accept much help, in any case. Besides, she knew the type of girls that typically went to this school. No doubt any guide they stuck her with would be doing it for the credit but wouldn't care to show Haven to the places she really wanted to go.
She thought Crystal Academy was a bit of a dismal looking place. Oh, sure, the grounds were pristine and the buildings were well looked after, but after 9 years at Knightside, Haven was feeling a bit out of place. She was going to miss the comfort and the familiarity Knightside offered. That, and she was going to miss all the familiar faces she saw on a daily basis, even if she wasn't friends with them.
As she wandered the grounds, Haven happened upon another girl her age who looked as if she might be lost. At first, Haven kept her distance and observed the girl. Eventually, her sense of responsibility got the best of her and Haven approached with the sort of confidence one might expect from someone who knew their way around—even if, truth be told, she didn't.
“Sorry to bother you, but you look lost. Can I help you?” she asked.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 1:09 pm
"Huh? O-Oh like yeah, umm...Do you mind like showing me to the uh front office? I like kind of lost my way."Katherine was partially glad, and partially upset that she had run into someone. A small prideful part of her was embarrassed to need to ask for directions, but most of her was glad for the encounter. The other girl seemed to know her way around the school pretty well. She was most likely a student here, a member of Crystal Academy's group of scholars. But, she didn't really look old enough to be in high school; now that Katherine thought of it, the other girl looked to be of her age, maybe a little older, but still fourteen. However, looks could be decieving, and Katherine knew a few sophomores in her hometown that looked younger than her.
But, one could never know for sure until one asked."Do you like go to this school? I mean like, it looks like you know your way around, and I was like wondering if you could tell me what it's like being here."
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Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 7:27 am
“No, I don't go here yet,” Haven said.
She observed the girl closely, trying to determine if she might recognize her face from Knightside, but the girl was a complete stranger to her. Maybe she was homeschooled? Or went to one of the lesser populated schools around town? Was she perhaps new to Destiny City altogether?
Poor girl, if that was the case. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
“I still go to Knightside. 8th grade. I'll be starting here after summer break,” Haven explained. “I've been around here before, though. My grandpa took me on a tour here at the beginning of the school year to see where I wanted to go next year. It was between this place of Meadowview, and this place seemed like it would be better for me as far as academics. I can show you to the main office if you want, but they're just going to stick you with a guide who'll rush through a tour around the dorms and cafeteria and stuff.
“Are you not from around here?” Haven concluded. Her curiosity eventually got the best of her, as always.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 9:34 pm
"Umm...well, yeah. I'm just like visiting this city for the week. I umm wanted to like take a look around and stuff." Because I'll have to move here soon. "So like I was hoping to just like explore this school." So when I go here in the future, I'll know this place a bit better and won't get lost. "But, well, like I told you before, it seems like I got lost."Katherine mentally made side remarks to her words, things she would say should the other girl whom she was talking to had not been a stranger.
However, the other girl had said something that had caused her to start thinking. She was in eighth grade too...same as Katherine...and going to go to Crystal as well. It wasn't something Katherine would usually do, but this was a new city which meant a new life so perhaps..."Hey, umm...You said you were like in 8th grade right? And going to go to this school next year? So am I. And so well, I uh was wondering if we could like maybe become friends? I mean like, that way there will be like someone I know when I come to this school in like the fall. 'Cause like, I don't really like know anyone in this city, unless you like count the librarian I like met two days ago."
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Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 4:12 am
When the other girl admitted to visiting the city for a week, Haven thought her assumption must be true then—this girl was from out of town.
Poor thing, Haven thought, moving to a place like this. She likely had no idea what Destiny City was even like. Haven felt bad for her. It was always sad when blissfully ignorant people learned about the dangers that took place in this city, and there was no way this girl was going to be able to live here and not hear about it all somehow.
Something else the girl said caught her attention, though, and Haven observed her with a look of wonder on her face.
“Umm... sure,” she said, feeling a little out of place all of a sudden. It wasn't every day a stranger asked to be friends with her.
Truth be told, Haven didn't have many friends. She knew why, of course. Her often superior attitude tended to put people off.
“My name's Haven, by the way,” she introduced herself, holding out one of her hands for a friendly shake. “Haven Sinclair. I can show you around a little bit if you want. I think I remember the way to most stuff. If not, I have a map in my bag,” she said, and patted the messenger back at her side.
“Where are you from?” she felt the need to ask.
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Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 5:41 pm
Katherine though about Haven's question for a slight moment before answering it. She wasn't from one of those Southern California cities that everyone knew about. Come to think about it, the only things significant about her hometown were their outstanding academics and rather high population of Asians...but no one needed to know that. She wouldn't give details.
"SoCal. My hometown isn't that well known so I don't think you would have like ever heard of it, but I'd say that it's about like and hour's drive southeast from LA, give or take, depending on the traffic. And well, I'm Katherine. Chang. And if we're going to be like all formal and stuff, then like, thank you for like offering to show me around. I really appreciate it."She reached out and accepted Haven's hand, shaking it. It was nice to meet someone new, Katherine decided. Besides, now that all the awkward introductions were over--Katherine really disliked introductions. Too formal--they could get to know each other better. What were her interests? Did they like the same things, or were they on opposite ends of the spectrum? There were millions of possibilities. But, in the end, maybe they could become good friends. Maybe. But she'd start with an ice breaker. Something easy to talk about. Something like..."Well, I guess we'd like better get moving if we are to look through the entire school today. Hey, so umm, like what kind of things are you into?"Sunshine Alouette I apologize for the lateness of this.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:30 am
Haven shook the other girl's hand firmly. Her grandfather always told her that the way to make a good impression with people was to have a firm handshake, and while she didn't entirely believe him, she'd developed one out of habit.
The number of “like”s Katherine threw into her sentences threw Haven off a bit. It must be a habit bred from her time in Southern California, Haven thought. Sure, people used “like” here, but not with as much frequency.
“Oh, I'm not into a lot really,” Haven said. She took Katherine's advice anyway and began moving along, starting in the direction toward the main office since Katherine had been looking for it and it was a good place to know for all prospective students, whether they chose to get a formal tour guide or not.
“I do a lot of reading,” she said, and felt lame for it. Not many girls her age wanted to be known for their reading. “And, um... I do figure skating. I've been doing that since I've been, like, five,” she added. Haven winced a bit at her own use of the word “like.” It didn't sound natural to her ears.
“Anyway, I want to be able to go to the Winter Olympics in 2018,” she admitted, and then segued into, “What about you?” Sakura Faerie x Sorry for my slowness!! <3
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 10:05 pm
"Oh! You like reading too? So do I! Books are just like excellent things, you know. Which authors are you into? Lewis and Riorden are my favorites. And Rowling. You can't forget about her! I love reading fiction and fantasy. It's so like magical and unworldly, almost as if the stories came from out of this world."
In her mind, Katherine was doing a little happy dance over the knowledge that Haven liked books. That gave them some common ground with each other, in their liking of reading. A connection with someone over something is always good when meeting new people. Something similar.
"I also like to sing and like take pictures and stuff. But from like my perspective, I'm not that skilled in either of those two categories. I've never had like any lessons for singing before, and photography is just something I've picked up over the years."
Katherine paused for a moment, thinking. Haven had said she liked figure skating. Which has to do with ice. Which is cold. And usually when one says it it cold, one typically thinks of winter. To which it might snow. And talking about snow...
"Hey, umm... Does it snow here in Destiny City? I mean like, from where I'm from, it's rather mild all year long, perfect, warm weather the entire year and the like. The only times have experienced snow was when my family and a couple other families took like a trip North up to the Sequoia Park in the winter five years ago for a week, and when we took that trip North to Yosemite two years ago. And that was only for like four days. So I've like never actually experienced snow snow. My experiences with it were only temporary."
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:16 am
“Oh, I don't really have any particular favorite author,” Haven said. For a moment, she wondered if she should. She used to when she was younger, but as she got older she found she preferred specific genres more than she did specific authors.
“When I was little, I read a lot of Nancy Drew. I have every book that's been published. But now I like non-fiction more. A lot of history. My older brother has a lot of books on medieval and early modern Europe, so I read a lot about that since it's easy to borrow his stuff. But I like Harry Potter, too,” she added in an effort to appear a little less lame.
She was always a little embarrassed when she talked about the things she liked with other kids her age. She didn't know a lot of fourteen year old girls who liked reading about dead people and wars from hundreds of years ago. Most girls her age were more concerned with pop culture and the like.
“That's cool, though. Photography,” she said. “That's not something you have to take lessons in to be good at. Singing, too. Some people just have natural talent. Figure skating is different. I mean, yeah, some people have natural talent there, too, but you can't get anywhere without lessons.
“It snows here, yeah,” Haven continued. “A lot sometimes. It really depends. Last winter was pretty bad. Although I guess it depends on who you ask whether or not it was bad. Some people like snow. I do. I like winter best because the outdoor rinks open up when it gets cold. I like skating outside. Being close to the mountains means we tend to get a lot of snow. Sometimes we don't, though. It varies from year to year.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 2:31 pm
"Well, that's nice to know. It'll be like a new experience for me, you know, the snow and all." Katherine didn't have anything else to say after that, and it didn't seem like Haven did either. Dead air filled that space around them as they walked, so Katherine took the moment to think back to what she had just did.
She had spoken out and shared information about herself to this girl whom she had just met. Granted, she hadn't been the one to start the conversation and make the encounter, but she had talked about herself and offered to be friends. It has been a great idea at the time, but now she was thinking twice about it. Maybe it was just the strangeness of moving that was causing her to act all...unlike her usual self, or just the adrenaline rush she got when encountering someone new in a new city, but now that the rush had died down and was over, she was feeling rather embarrassed and self-conscious about what she had done. Why, oh why, had she talked about what she liked? It just wasn't like her, to openly discuss personal details, and offer herself as a friend to someone new. It just wasn't...modest.
But what damage had been done was already done. It couldn't be redo-ed. But perhaps speaking out was a good thing, albeit something she wasn't used to. So, Katherine resolved to simply go with what she had done, and maybe tell Haven what she was really like inside. She would go from there. "You know, I'm...not usually this open. I...was like kind of caught up in the moment of meeting someone new. Honestly...if like I gave you the impression of someone who is very like, open and the like to people, I'm saying now that...I'm not really like that. I hope we can still maybe be friends, though."
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:07 am
Haven wasn't sure what to say to the other girl at first. She wasn't the type to make friends easily. In fact, it wasn't often that someone offered to be her friend. Truthfully she didn't think that was something that could be offered so easily; it was something that had to be worked at. Two people couldn't become friends simply because they said they would. Both parties had to make an effort.
Haven wasn't used to making an effort. There were people at school she talked to sometimes. She and Millie said they were friends, and she and Peter were close enough to share powered identities, but beyond that there weren't many people Haven shared of herself with.
“I'm not really that open either, I don't think,” she observed. “It's not really easy for me to make friends. A lot of times I say the wrong thing or... I don't know, I guess people just don't understand what I'm trying to say. I don't think I'm very good at the social thing.”
She didn't know how to talk to people. Even with Peter, she said a lot of the wrong things sometimes, or what she meant to say came out sounding different than she intended. She was surprised she'd gone so long in this conversation without saying anything that might cause Katherine to second guess her offer to be friends.
“Friends aren't something we can be just because we say we are,” Haven continued. “It's something we have to work at. But I'm willing to try. If you're new here, you're going to need someone to help you around. I don't mind doing that. And if I ever get annoying or if I say the wrong thing sometimes, you can tell me. I'm never really sure when I do it. It's not like i'm trying to be rude or anything. Some things just don't come out right.”
She laughed self-deprecatingly and looked a Katherine with a sheepish expression. “I hope that doesn't scare you off.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 1:07 pm
For a while, only silence could be heard. Katherine could almost imagine hearing the soft chipity-chirp of non-existent crickets. She could feel blood rushing to her cheeks, embarrassment of the awkwardness the situation had become.
But Katherine begin thinking, her mind racing at the super fast speed it goes in moments of awkward silence. Granted, it probably wasn't going any further distance wise than regularly, going round and round in circles. She wished she could say something to break the awkwardness, some topic opener or conversation starter. Except, she had never been the one to speak out, always being the person in the shadow for someone to talk to, that secret keeper that is always found in a friend group. Now that the adrenaline of meeting someone was over, she was feeling a lot more like her regular self, which meant she stayed a listener, not a talker.
So she stayed silent, thinking. Oh please say something, about books, or the weather, or what classes you are thinking of taking. Anything to get rid of this wretched silence because I don't have it in me to end it. Curse my inability to speak out.Sunshine Alouette Do I suck? I think I do. So sorry for this (long) overdue post~
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